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Glite Dictionary
caramel bun

caramel bun

2.3
A small sweet roll filled with sticky caramel and nuts
  • noun
  • /ˈkærəˌmɛl bʌn/
translation icon : bollito de caramelo
  • She brought a tray of freshly baked caramel buns to the family breakfast.

Examples

  • The caramel bun was gooey and sweet, perfect with a cup of coffee.

  • He followed his grandmother's recipe to make delicious caramel buns for the bake sale.

  • I love a warm caramel bun with my coffee.

  • Have you tried a caramel bun from the bakery?

  • She brought a tray of freshly baked caramel buns to the family breakfast.

  • The caramel bun was gooey and sweet, perfect with a cup of coffee.

  • He followed his grandmother's recipe to make delicious caramel buns for the bake sale.

Synonyms

bun
vscaramel bun
164 1.0

A small round bread roll that is plain or sweet

is a sweet rolled pastry with nuts and a bottom sugar or honey layer
cinnamon bun
vscaramel bun
8 1.3

A sweet rolled pastry baked with cinnamon and sugar, often with raisins

adds a bottom sweet butter and nut layer instead of only cinnamon spread
sticky bun
vscaramel bun
  • US
5 1.3

A sweet baked roll covered in sticky sugar and often nuts

places sugar or honey and butter at the bottom for flavor
cinnamon roll
vscaramel bun
5 1.0

A sweet baked roll of dough filled with cinnamon and sugar

uses nuts and a bottom sugar layer rather than primarily cinnamon filling
honey bun
vscaramel bun
  • US
3 1.4

A sweet sticky pastry like a spiral roll flavored with honey and cinnamon

places sugar and butter at the bottom with nuts rather than just a spiral
schnecken
vscaramel bun
  • US
1 9.9

A sweet rolled pastry filled with sugar and nuts

has identical meaning but uses a traditional foreign name
honeybun
vscaramel bun
  • US
1 2.7

A sweet sticky pastry made with honey or sugar eaten as a snack

has nuts and a bottom sugar or butter layer for richer bake

How Sweet

sticky bun
  • US
5 1.3
caramel bun
2.3
sweet roll
4 1.1
cinnamon bun
8 1.3
soft roll
1 1.3

Surface Forms

caramel bun singular
caramel buns plural

Morphology

caramel + bun

The phrase 'caramel bun' is compositionally transparent: it denotes a bun (small sweet roll) made with or flavored by caramel, so a learner who knows 'caramel' and 'bun' can readily infer it is a sweet pastry. This flavor/ingredient + food compounding is a common, predictable pattern in English (and other languages), making the meaning accessible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Caramel bun gets its name from how it is made: dough is rolled with sugar and nuts, put in a tin with sugar or honey, and in the oven the sugar melts into sticky caramel under the bun. So the name gives the image of a small 'sweet, sticky roll', which is why it means 'a sweet pastry'.